Module Overview

This 1-day negotiation training course will provide an overview of the field of negotiation and how influence & persuasion skills and streetwise tactics & ploys bear on the human interplay involved.

The hands-on approach provides firsthand negotiation experiences in a safe environment, providing participants with varied opportunities to learn by doing, through the use of some carefully selected simulation exercises.

The techniques practiced apply to any situation that calls for bargaining – from arguing over budgets & audit results to purchasing services and debt collections through to trading with contractors and mediating between partners. These derive from the most up-to-date academic & real-world research available, embodying the key negotiation skills & insights required for current recessionary times.

A core focus of this negotiation training course will be the individual as a less-than-perfect decision-maker in individual & competitive contexts and a wide-scale exploration of the strategies and tactics to use in protecting one’s interests in the face of hard-ball and aggressive negotiators.

Learning Outcomes

Gain a broad understanding of the central concepts in negotiation & the building blocks to be leveraged

Understand the nature of the power dynamic in negotiations and the impact of real or perceived power discrepancies on the outcomes reached

Explore the influence of threats and promises on the behaviour of other parties

Appreciate the alternative perspectives on fairness & ethics

Defend against negotiation tricks, ploys & traps that the other party may use

Programme Content & Sequence of Elements

Negotiation Fundamentals TrainingParticipants will explore the various scenarios of negotiation and identify the common elements arising, whether it involves labour-management disputes, landlord-tenant disagreements, buyer-seller transactions, etc.

Positional BargainingThe everyday haggling that takes place between a proprietor and customer over the price of an item, where each side starts with an extreme position and proceeds from there to make concessions to reach an eventual compromise is a starting model to explore.

Streetwise Tactical Negotiations TrainingA more advanced model of negotiation is based on the notion of power and tactical manipulation, characterizing parties as adversaries in a win-lose game. We will survey some of the more popular ploys involved (eg. the bogey, the krunch, the nibble) and develop countermeasures to defend against them.

Analysis of Positions & InterestsHow to perform positional analysis of all parties to a deal, identifying hidden agendas and effectively handling adverse moves, turns and threats from the other side.

Concessions & QuestionsHow to handle oneself in the moment – how to zero in on what a buyer or seller wants, how to handle objections, how to ask & respond to questions and how to feign and lock down concessions.

Multiparty Negotiations Training
The structure of a multi-party negotiation creates some inherent instability. We will explore with participants how this dynamic unfolds, especially in terms of the increased complexity and the added value/power introduced by adding a third-party to a negotiation.

Coalitions & AlliancesWe will analyse the effect of coalitions on a multi-party negotiation, especially blocking coalitions which can enhance the power of seemingly weak players and can cause alliances to radically shift and change.

Fairness & Ethical Issues
We will explore the role of fairness & ethics in negotiation and refer to the Platinum Rule, especially in terms of its reputational dividend. We will examine the consequences of misrepresentation and of taking advantage of others’ weaknesses and illustrate the advantages/disadvantages of operating to agreed objective standards/criteria.

Simulations & Case StudiesParticipants will partake in negotiation simulations to pointedly illustrate how:
a) the power of seemingly weak players can be enhanced
b) arguing with objective criteria can be both be advantageous & problematic
c) non-verbal communication and mis-communication plays out
d) a variety of tactics causes parties to shift allegiances, change their offers & break deals.